Getting his shot under center

Michael Engle was ready in his only start behind
Spud Dick. And he's undefeated so far in 2010 as
well.
DePauw athletics photo

It wasn’t an ideal situation when Michael Engle made
his first career start in 2009. His team, DePauw, the preseason
favorite in the in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, had
just suffered a disappointing defeat the previous week in their
conference opener to Centre.

Of greater concern was the loss of four-year starter at
quarterback Spud Dick who had missed most of the second half with a
concussion. Dick was being held out of the Tigers’ next game
at Sewanee. And sure, Engle had come in and thrown two touchdown
passes in a late Tiger rally, but anytime a starting quarterback
goes down you can never know how the backup will perform.

So while DePauw’s 3-0 victory over the Tigers from
Tennessee, who ended up finishing 0-9, might not have looked
impressive as you scanned the weekly Division III scores. It was
just fine with Engle.

“We played in a torrential downpour,” said Engle
wryly. “Great way to make a first start, but I’ll take
the win.”

In the sloppy conditions, Engle had managed the game efficiently
despite passing numbers that were just 6-of-15 for 135 yards. And
he didn’t turn the ball over as field conditions continued to
deteriorate. That was the most important thing. The Tigers went on
to share the SCAC crown and advance to playoffs for the first time.
Dick went on to be named the D3football.com South Region Offensive
Player of the Year. Engle went back to the bench.

The contributions of a backup quarterback in the team’s
third game after a tough loss probably won’t be the first
thing people remember from DePauw’s 2009 heroics. But it may
have been the turning point of their season.

If you fast forward to the 2010 campaign, it is now Engle, a
senior, who is the starter. So the pressure to perform at a high
level at the start of the season was on Engle considering the
Tigers returned eight starters on offense

But so far the Tigers’ offense hasn’t appeared to
miss a beat from last season.

DePauw is currently 4-0 this season, 3-0 in the SCAC and that
includes wins over top contenders Centre and Millsaps. Meanwhile,
Engle’s passing numbers are very Dick-like. He has completed
nearly 70 percent of his passes (104 of 150), while passing for
1,129 yards with 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

So while he admits that he gets butterflies before each game, he
feels he was ready to step into the role of starter this
season.

“It was always about taking one day at a time and trying
to get better as a football player,” Engle said.
“Luckily, I was behind such as great quarterback. I was
really able to learn a lot from him both on and off the field. I
became both a better player and person because of him. I
appreciate everything that he did for me.

“As far as quarterback play, Spud and I are pretty similar
in that we attempt to go out and do our job, control the ball, not
force anything and take what the defense gives us and move the
chains by letting the guys on the outside make plays.”

“Coming into senior year, it’s just really
exciting to get a chance to get out on the field and play with a
guy that you that you work hard with all year and all offseason. To
get out there and win some ballgames, have some fun, really get
after it and do some great things in your senior year. It’s
been a great experience so far.”

According to receiver Alex Koors, Engle earned his teammates
confidence during the summer and right away this season.

“I think he put those (doubts) to rest right away,”
said Koors, who earned D3football.com first team All-American
honors last season. “I think everybody in our locker room had
confidence in him. We all knew what he was capable of. We knew he
had the necessary qualities to be a starting quarterback. From the
beginning of the season, he showed he was ready to step in and lead
this program.

“He’s a senior so he’s been around the program
for a long time. He knows everything that there is to know about
our offense. He prepares better than anybody that I’ve been
around. He’s smart, a leader. He gets us into a lot of good
play calls.”

Still waiting three years to get your shot at the starting job
is tough for any player.

“That’s got to be hard to do -- to wait three
years,” Koors said. “He’s been very patient.
Everybody knows how difficult that can be. Everybody is excited to
see him doing this well.”

Engle credits, in part growing as a coach’s son as helping
realize team goals are more important than individual ones. He has
watched his father coach high school football for 27 years.

“It really put an emphasis on preparation and being ready
to play (when your number is called.)” Engle said. “And
the importance of things outside of the football field, in terms of
game film and study. Even though you are a back up, preparing play,
because you never know when that one play will happen. That
prepared me to be a back up and to as a senior take over that
starting role.”

Also speeding the transition has been experience at the skill
positions. The team returns its two leading rushers in Derrick
Karazsia and Jon Ellis. The pair combined for more than 1,000 yards
last season and appear to on their way to equally that this season
by averaging 105 yards per game.

The receiving corps includes Brayden Dahlstrom (27 catches),
Nathan Evans (18 receptions) and especially Koors, one of the best
players in the country at this level.

“We do have a very talented receiving corps,” Engle
said. “Whether we are in a base formation and have two
receivers out there or empty with five receivers on the field, I
have confidence in all those guys. They’re going to run the
right routes and get open. I trust that they’ll come down
with the ball and not let the defensive guy get it, that
they’ll make a play on it and have the potential to make a
big play.”

Koors currently leads the team with 31 receptions for 446 yards
with seven touchdowns. The senior owns the school’s all-time
record in receiving yards. His 200th career catch, a
32-yarder, helped set up the go-ahead score in last week’s
victory over Millsaps. He needs 17 catches to tie Bryan Mulligan
for the as the school’ all-time leader.

Engle certainly appreciates his talents.

“It’s great to have him out there and be able to
have that talent,” he said.” It’s a great
testament to the work that he’s put in.

“It’s a combination of things. He’s a very
talented athlete. He’s a fast receiver, goes up and gets the
ball at its highest point and a very smart receiver. He knows how
to run routes and get open and get separation from the defensive
guy. He sees the field extremely well. He’s kind of like a
quarterback in the sense that he can see the opening in a defense
and find that hole. I know where he’s going to be because he
sees what I see out there. Having a guy like that, it’s great
because when you need a play or on a big down that he’s going
to be there for you.”

But while the records are nice, Koors and Engle have hope DePauw
can build on what the team accomplished last year.

“I really don’t worry about those things,”
Koors said. “As long as we win, I’m happy.

“We just have keeping doing what we have been, preparing
extremely well. The coaching staff has done a great job of getting
us prepared. The scout teams have been doing a great job of getting
great looks. Part of our success has been so many people have
contributed. We did not like they way we ended the year with
back-to-back losses to Wabash and Thomas More. It left a
nasty taste in our mouth but making the playoffs was a big moment
for this program. We know that very capable of winning in the
playoffs and can compete with some of the better teams in the
country.”

Engle agrees with his stud receiver that last season ended on a
sour note.

“It definitely did,” He said. “We were very
pleased with the foundation that last year’s senior class
left us with -- going to the playoffs for the first time.

“But at the same time, we weren’t satisfied with
losing the last two games and getting knocked out in the first
round. We want to build on that and get better. We know we have to
do that one day and one week at a time. And that’s what we
are trying to do.”

Spoken like a true coach’s son.

Games of the Week
Mississippi College (2-2, 0-2 ASC) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (4-0,
3-0). The Crusaders will look to avenge last
season’s 17-14 loss in Clinton, though nothing has been easy
for them so far this season. The Choctaws don’t have much
chance at the ASC title this year, but would love to catch
lightning in a bottle once again this year. A tough task in
Belton.

Trinity (2-2, 1-2 SCAC) at Texas Lutheran (2-2, 2-1
ASC). This nonconference matchup may be a little closer
than expected when first scheduled. First-year coach Danny Padron
has led the Bulldogs, who were winless last season, to two
victories already.

Hardin-Simmons (4-1, 2-1 ASC) at Howard Payne (2-3,
1-2). Geographic rivals square off, but it The Cowboys
appeared to right themselves in the second half last week, while
the Yellow Jackets were thumped by McMurry.

McMurry (3-2, 1-2 ASC) at Sul Ross State (1-2,
1-1). Looks like the “Air Raid” is cranked
back up after a big win over Howard Payne, but it’s the
McMurry defense that’s been the most improved this season for
the “Nation.” The Lobos could still be smarting from a
28-11 loss to Texas Lutheran last week.

LouisianaCollege (1-3, 1-1 ASC) at
East Texas Baptist (2-3, 1-2). This is a very interesting
game. The Wildcats took ASC power UMHB to the brink last
week, while the Tigers hung with Hardin-Simmons early before it
fell apart for them in the second half.

Rhodes(2-2, 1-0 SCAC) at DePauw (4-0,
3-0). You wouldn’t expect the Lynx to be able to go
on the road and defeated the defending conference champs, but they
are the only other SCAC team without a conference loss. Stranger
things have happen.

Birmingham-Southern (3-1) at Centre (3-2, 2-1
SCAC). The Colonels offense is starting roll, scoring 108
points in their victories the past two weeks, while
Birmingham-Southern dropped their first game of the year to Trinity
last week. It could be another tight game like last year’s
14-13 Centre victory.

Sewanee (1-4, 0-2 SCAC) at Austin (2-2, 0-2).
Expect the Kangaroos to get their first SCAC win of the season at
home against the Tigers.

Huntingdon (3-2) at Millsaps (2-3, 2-1). The
Hawks started 3-0 but have dropped their last two, including last
week’s 61-28 loss to Wesley. A loss for Huntingdon could
knock them out of the Pool B race. Millsaps is coming off a tough
loss to DePauw and is hoping to avenge last year’s 47-36 loss
to the Hawks. Expect another shoot out this year.

LaGrange (2-3) at Trine (4-0). Being an
independent in the Deep South is tough scheduling-wise. The
Panthers will have to face another tough opponent on the road in
the 15th-ranked Thunder. LaGrange will play its first ranked
opponent since taking on Wesley last season. That one
didn’t work out too well in a 56-7 loss.

Contact Info
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You can also find me on Facebook and twitter @d3jason. Hope you
have a great weekend.